The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry collected 270 signatures from business owners and employers for a letter that was sent to Gov. Mike Parson and the legislature opposing anti-COVID-19 vaccine legislation.
“We want the legislature to know just how strongly we feel about impossible mandates being put on employers,” said Karen Buschmann, vice president of communications and strategic initiatives at the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “We want employers to be able to decide what's best for their workplace, for their employees and for their customers. If they want to require vaccinations, we want them to have the right to do so just as they have for decades in this state.”
State lawmakers have been entertaining proposals that would give state government the power to override vaccination policies set by private employers.
“We've testified at numerous bill hearings and we think they see our side of things but we'll see how it works out as these bills progress,” Buschmann said. “For years, employers in the healthcare industry have been able to require vaccines and practices that keep their patients safe. To take that away now, just doesn't make any sense.”
The letter encourages lawmakers to refrain from setting workplace vaccination policy.
“We urge lawmakers to set aside these anti-business proposals," the letter states. "We believe this action would set a troubling new precedent for government overreach into private businesses. We urge state and federal leaders not to go down the path of trampling America's system of free enterprise. At the same time, we are standing against efforts to expand unemployment benefits to employees who choose not to comply with vaccination requirements. These proposals would harm Missouri's recovery by worsening our workforce shortage while creating additional costs for employers.”
Buschmann added that anti-vaccine legislation has been advancing quickly since the legislature convened on Jan. 5
“It's just unusual because for so long the majority of legislators supported business in the state and we see this anti-vaccine legislation as a step back,” she said. “It’s definitely not pro-business. It puts employers in a really difficult situation and it also sends a chilling message. If we don't stand up against this overreach, will this encourage more laws to further encroach on free enterprise? What's next?”